Get back to basics. Learn to live a natural life, a green life, a simple life...learn to find happiness in simplicity. This is my journey towards the life that I want...A simple life, a frugal life, a natural life, a green life, a most peaceful life...

Saturday, February 27, 2010

More on water...

Since water is so substantial to the survival of the human race, I thought I would do some more research on it and how to conserve it so as to make sure it stays around (in an unpolluted state).

All the water that goes down the drain, clean or dirty, ends up mixing with raw sewage, getting contaminated, and meeting the same fate.

I have found some good tips on water conservation, which is not only good for our Earth but for our water bill (for those who are on public water). Here are some ideas:

Always wait until you have a full load before running the dishwasher or washing machine.

Plant locally appropriate plants so that you do not have to water your lawn as much. If you feel that you must water, do so at night or in the coolest part of the day in order to decrease evaporation (or go wild and don't water at all - let nature take its course!).

Harvest your rainwater. Put a rain barrel on your downspouts and use this water for irrigation.

Harvest your greywater. Water that has been used at least once but is still clean enough for other jobs is called greywater. Water from sinks, showers, dishwashers, and clothes washers are the most common household examples.

Don’t pour chemicals down drains, or flush drugs down toilets; it could come back in diluted form in your water

I do have a confession to make...we are not actually a complete "chemical free" home. And out of the "chemical sins", I am probably committing a biggie. I currently use Cascade in my dishwasher. I have tried homemade detergent (which works wonderfully for us in the washing machine), I have tried different commercial brands of "green" cleaners...nothing seems to work. However, while researching for this post, I ran across someone who swears by Bi-o-Kleen so that will be my next stop.

Not only do I hate using the Cascade, but the smell is horrible. I am so used to not smelling chemicals now that it is very strong to me (funny how I used to love going down the laundry isle at the store because I thought it smelled "good", lol).

1 comment:

I am having the same problem with dishwasher soap. I've tried a many friendly ones and am back to Cascade. Also my dishwasher doesn't really work without the Jet Dry which I hate even more than Cascade.

A friend did give me some Melaleuca dishwasher soap that worked really well. I was so excited as Melaleuca is reported to be environmentally friendly, but after some research I found that it might not be as "green" as I was told.